Kerosene vaporizer



W. H. HILL.

KEROSENE VAPORIZER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28, 1918. 1 4g% 1%%, Patented July 25, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

W.'H. HILL.

KEROSENE VAPORIZER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28, 1918.

Patented July 25, 1922.

D EIIHIIIIIIIII 2 I Ill W. H. HILL.

KEROSENE VAPORIZEB.

APPLlCATlON FILED AUG.28, 1918.

1 24, 1 Q2, Patented July 25, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- $51 )LIS @Uovmua W a w I! 1 V WILLIAM H. HILL, 0}? M'ANATI, POBTO RICO.

KEROSENE VAPOBIZER.

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Specificationv of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 28, 1918. Serial No. 251,765.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that l, lViLLiaru H. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manati, Porto TtlCO,'llfl."-fi invented certain new and useful improvements in Kerosene Vaporizers, of which the following a clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to ap mratus for volatilizing or vaporizing liquid fuels, and particularly to apparatus in which the liquid fuel is transformed into its gaseous or vaporized state without lirst being atomized.

An object of the invention is to provide a liquid fuel volatilizing apparatus in which the heavier liquid fuels, such as -l erosene, may be completely or substantially com-- pletely volatiliaed without injury to the coin bustible properties of any of the constituents of the fuel.

Another object of the invention to provide apparatus for volatiliaing liquid fuels,

in which the volatilizing means acts directly upon the fuel, that will operate to vapr'irine only enough fuel to meet the demands upon the apparatus, as, for example, when operatingin conjunction with an internal combuscomplete volatilization without excessive heat.

An important feature of the invention is the arrangement, in combination with a differentially heated surface for effecting the volatilization of the constituents of the fuel at heats appropriate to the respective con stituents of means for directing the fuel to be volat-ilized over said surface in a film and in such manner that the selective volatilization is effected by the appropriately heated parts of the surface.

Another important feature of the invention is the provision of means for at once conducting away from the volatilizing means the different constituents of the fuel as they are volatilized, and of means whereby the action of the apparatus is proportioned to the demand made upon it.

Another important feature is the provision of means for maintaining the temperature of the volatilized fuel on its way to the en *ine.

ther objects and important features of the invention will appear from the following description and claims when considered in connection. with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional View taken approximately centrally of my apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22, Fig. i;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of the lower. central portion'of Fig. 1;

Fig. 1 is an elevation; I

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the mixing chamber shown at 3st, Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of said chamber as viewed from the right, Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7, Fig, 1, and

Fig. 8 is an end view, looking from the left in Fig. 1, of the heating chamber through which the exhaust passes.

As hereinabove suggested, the liquid fuel volatilizinp; means of the present invention is intended to operate directly upon the fuel without the intervention of means for at omizing the fuel or mixing it with air. To this end the illustrated device comprises a cylindrical chamber 2, bounded by a wall 4, which constitutes the volatilizing means proper, this well being arranged to be differently heated so that different parts of the wall are heated to different temperatures. The chamber also has a bottom 5 provided with an internally threaded extension or hollow boss 7.

The means for heating the wall 4i of the chamber 2 in the illustrated construction comprises a casing 10 having open ends 12 and 14, constituting, respectively, intake and exit openings for the motor exhaust gases or other suitable heating fluid. The casing 10 is shaped between its ends 12 and 14 to receive the lower flanged part of the volatilizing means, this part of the wall l of the volatilizing means being provided with relatively wide heat-collecting flanges 16, the upper one of which, shown at 18, is provided with a shoulder 20 hearing against the upper face of the casing 10. The heat collecting flanges 16 offer considerable resistance to the passage of the gases through that portion of the exhaust passageway occupied by them and it may be desirable at times to permit a freer passageway for the exhaust gases. To this endthe casing 10 has a lower projecting portion 11 forming with the partition 13, a chamber for the free passage of the gases when the pressure thereof is such as to open a spring controlled flop-valve 15 which normally closes the entrance to the free passageway. This valve connected to a rock shaft 17 extending through the casing 10 and having outside of its casing anarm 19 connected to a spring 21, which holds the valve 15 yieldingly in closed position. "The lower end of the chamber 2 m d. be seated in the partition 13 and secured to the casing; 10 by a nut engaging the discharge pipe 8 which is threaded into the boss 7. said nut engaging the projecting portion 11 of the casing 10.

, Above the flange 18 and outside the easing 10, the wall. 4- of the vol at ilizing" chamher 2 is provided with heat radiating flanges 24:, which are preferably somewhat narrower than the heat collecting flanges 16.

The heatcollected by the flanges 16., and directly collected by the wall l within the casing 10, is conducted to some e tent up through the wall 4 and outside 5' casinggi', A partof this heat will be ratv lower flanges 24:, thus reducing the tempera ture of the wall just outside the casing 1'0 below that insidesaid casing and the further radiating act on of the flan gee 24 above the lower flanges 24; will cause a still further reduction of the amount of heat conducted up the wall, thus producing a, decided differential in the temperature of the wall A at different points, the upper end of the wall being the least heated. 1 e i The object of thus differentially heating the wall 4 is to provide for .volatiliaing the different constituents of the liquid 'l.uelQ for example kerosene, at their appropriate heats of volatilization without over-heating and the purpose of the particular rela a arrangement of the differently heated parts of the surface in the illustrated device is to provide for passing the fuel to be volatilized first over the leastlieated parts of the surface, in order first to voltilize the more volatile constituents of the fuel before the less volatile parts are directed over the more In the illusheat-ed parts of the surface. trated construction, the fuel to be volatilized is introduced into the upper end of the chamber 2 andis caused to flow down over the surface of the wall 4 in a relatively. thin film means being provided for directing the fuel to'be' volatiliZed substantially over the:

whole i nner surface of the wall 1-.

The lllllSliltltQCl means forintroducing' the fuel-to be volatiliz cd into the volatilizing means; and for directing itover the heatimpart ng surface ofjthe wall 4;, comprises a chambered part 26 threaded upon the up er part of the wall at, the wall 4: having an ex ri'o'rly beveled or frusto-conicalpart 30 projecting intothe chamber 28 within the member 26, the inner wall of the chamber 28 about the beveled upper end 30 of the wall 4% being cylindrical. An annular groove 35 is thus provided about the upper end of the Wall 4, this groove being adapted to carry the liquid fuel about the upper end] of the Wall 4, and to constitute a spillway from which the liquid fuel will be fed to the inner surface of the wall 4 to meet the demands upon the 'volatilizing means. The liquid fuel to be volatilized is preferably fed to the wall of the chamber 2 in a thin film by means of the bell 32, which has a fluted lower edge fitting within the part SO-of the chamber 2. The upper contracted portion of the bell 32 is provided with an opening through which the volatilized fuel passes to the mixer 3 1, and thence to the manifold Under suction of the engine the liquid fuel.

v nected by a supply pipe 12 with some source of fuel supply from -which the fuel may flow by gravity to the container the amount therein being regulated by a float la, operating to open and close a valve in the pipe 4-2 as the positionof the float varies. k

In the position of the parts shown in F 1, fuel will be fed to the ch amber 2 and volatilized therein, the more easily volatilized portions first, and these after volatiliza tion will tend to flow toward the top of the chamber 2 and into the bell 32, from whence they are conducted through a valve a8, to the I111X6I34c by way of the conveyor pipe 50,

said pipe being preferably provided with openings 52 to permit a ready mixing of the volatilized fuel with the air which is directly admitted to the mixer 34 through the intake 5 1:. A valve 56 controlled by a lever 58 regulates the amount .ofmixture admitted. From the mixer 3 1 the gases pass to the manifold 36.

The volatilized fuel is drawn from the bell at a high temperature, and in order to main tain this temperature while the volatilized fuel is passing" to the mixer, the conveyor pipe after passing through a chamber 60 containing a regulating device 62, enters a jacket 64, which forms a portion, of a hypass from apart of the exhaust 66 to that part including the casing 10. A connecting pipe 68, in which maybe included a valve sci when the engine isidling, it is preferable that the heat imparted to the volatilizing means shall be localized, and to this and means is preferably provided. for automatically locally varying the heat imparted to the wall .2:, in accordance witii the variation in thedeinand made upon the volatilizing means. The illustrated means comprises a valve or vane 78 carried upon a reek-shaft 80 in the casing 10 and arranged to s ing across the inlet opening 12 and across the path of flow of the exhaust gases through the casing 10. @utside the casing, the shaft 80 is proi'ided with an arm 82, to which is connested a spring attached at its other end to the casing 10, the spring 84; tending to move the valve or vane 7 8 in the direction to close the opening 12.

From an inspection of Fig. l of the drawings, it will be seen that the valve or vane "i will be swung more or less toward a hori zontal position, in accordance with the pressure or speed of flow of the exhaust through the casing 10, and that the exhaust will therefore be directed over a greater or less number of the heat gathering flames 16, in accordance with the pressure exerted upon the vane 78. In order further to insure such direction of the exhaust, extensions 86 of the flanges 16 are preferably cast integral with the casing 10 and so shaped that they substantially meet thepath of swing of the lower end of the vane 112, thus shutting off the upper flanges .16 from the exhaust gases.

When supplying an internal combustion motor, said motor may be started by the temporary use of more easily volatilized fuel than that designed to be ordinarily used, such, for instance, as gasoline. While an ordinary electric primer may be used, I prefer to use the gas from a gasoline carburetor which may be temporarily connected to the intalrc 54; of the mixer. During this operation the valve 48 is closed. The exhaust gases from the motor will pass through a portion 66 of the exhaust which is connected to the portion 10 thereof, some of the gases going through the bypass and heating up the jacket 6st. l i hen the chamber 2 has been sufliciently heated by the gases passing over the heat collecting flanges 16, the valve 4E8 opened. and liquid fuel is sucked into the chamber 2 where it is volatilized as previously described. Connection to the gaso line carburetor may then be shut off.

Any excess or heavy fuel collecting in the bottom of the chamber 2 will flow through the opening 88, Fig. in the boss 8, and out through the holes 90 in chambered nut 92. A gravity valve, in the shape of a ball 94 closes the lower end of the opening 88 under the suction of the engine to prevent air from being admitted through the holes 90 to the chamber 2.

While in the drawings the mixer 34- is shown near the gasifying chamber 2, nevertheless in practice, these parts may be separated by considerable distance, and for this purpose, a part of the connection between the pipe 72 and the mixer 841 may be made flexible. Thus the conveyor pipe 50 and jacket 64 may be made of flexible tubing, one within the other throughout a portion of their length.

It may be mentioned that the adjustment of the apparatus is preferably such that the supply of volatilized fuel is delivered at the mixer 841- at substantially atmospheric pressure and that when this pressure is changed by the suction of the engine, the liquid fuel is drawn into the gasifier where it is volatilized, thereby reestablishing the pressure balance, thereby stopping the flow of liquid to the gasifier.

This application is a continuation in part of my prior applications, Serial No. 233,233, tiled May 8, 1918, and Serial No. 243,172, filed July 3, 1918.

Claims to the broad idea of difl'erentially heating a vaporizing surface and. causing the liquid fuel to be vaporized to be directed onto this surface and to pass over it in the direction of increasing heat have been trans ferred from this application to my co-pending application #435,779. filed Jan. 8, 1921, fuel vaporizer, which is in part a continuation of the present application. Claims to the subject matter common to this application and to said co-pending application have been made in said co-pending application.

Having thus described my invention, what l. iilesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with the exhaust chamber of an internalv combustion motor of means arranged in the path of the gases through said chamber for absorbing a portion of the heat of said gases, said heat absorbing means offering resistnace to the passage of the gases, and a valve-controlled by-pass arranged to relieve excessive back pressure, said valve being yieldingly held in closed condition and arranged to open under a predetermined pressure.

2. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination of a chamber into which the liquid fuel to be volatilized is introduced, means for distributing the fuel evenly over the walls of the chamber comprising a member fluted at its edges and fitting into said chamber and means for supplying fuel to said member.

3. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination of a chamber into which the liquid fuel to be volatilized is introduced, a bell having fluted edges, and an opening at its. contracted portion, and means for supplying fuel to said bell, the fluted edges thereof engaging within the walls-of said chamber and serving to equally,

distribute the fuel over the walls thereof, and the opening in the bell serving to permit. the passage of the volatilized fuel.

4:. in apparatus of the class described for use with internal combustion motors, in combination, means for Yolatilizing a liquid fuel, comprising a heated surface over which the fuel to be volatilized. is directed, and means forivarying the heat imparted to said surface in accordance with the demand made uponsaid rolatiliz'ing means. i y

In apparatus of the class described for use with internal 0 'tion motors, in combination, means for i'olatilizing a liquid fuel, comprising a heated surface over which the fuel. to be volatiliz'ed is directed, and

pressure controlled means for varying the in accordance with the demands made upon said volatilizing means.

7. Inapparatus of the class described, in combination, means for volatilizing a liquid fuel, comprising a gas receiving chamber having a. heated Wall over which the fuel to be volatilized gravitates, means for heating said wall arranged to direct a heating medium over the lower part of the opposite side of said wall, and means forvarying the relative proportion of the parts of said wall directly exposed to the heating medium and those heated by conduction from the directly heated parts.

v In apparatus of the class described'for use with internal combustion 'motors, in combination, volatilizing means comprising a gas receiving chamber having a heated wall over which the fuel to be volatilized is directed, heat gathering and heat radiating flanges upon the opposite side of said wall, and means for varying the relative numbers of said flanges employed for the two purposes in accordance with. the demand made upon said volatilizing means.

9. Liquid fuel vaporizing means comprising, in. combination, a chamber presenting a fuel heating surface over which the fuel to be vaporized is passed, means external. to said chamber for heating said surface, and heat radiating means for producing a differential heating of said surface.

. 10. Liquid fuel vaporizing means comprising, in combination, a chamber presenting a fuel heating surface over which the fuel to be vaporized is passed, means for heating said surface, and means for effecting a differential heating'of said surface con'iprising heatcollecting means adjacent to portions of said surface, and heat radiating means adjacentto other portions'of said surface.

11. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a vertically arranged cylindrical chamber having an inlet near its upper end and an axially arranged outlet, of means for heating the lower end of said chamber, and radiating means for radiaiting away apart of the heat conducted to the upper part of said chamber.

Signed; at San Juan this 12 day of August 1918.

. WVILLIAM H. HILL. 

